Number/percent of women, with a child under age two, exposed to HTSP counseling/education, who subsequently adopted a family planning method in order to space their next pregnancy

Number/percent of women, with a child under age two, exposed to HTSP counseling/education, who subsequently adopted a family planning method in order to space their next pregnancy

Number/percent of women, with a child under age two, exposed to HTSP counseling/education, who subsequently adopted a family planning method in order to space their next pregnancy

Number/percent of women with a child age 23 months or younger; who have seen, heard, or read healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy (HTSP) messages that have been promoted either through an information, education, or communication (IEC) campaign, interpersonal communication or community outreach; and who subsequently practiced a family planning (FP) method to delay their next pregnancy.

To calculate this indicator, the women surveyed/interviewed must answer affirmatively to both questions:

  • In the past (specified period of time, e.g., 12 months), have you heard or read about messages related to HTSP through the radio, TV, brochures, other media or from a health provider, community leader, or other individual?
  • Since hearing about HTSP, have you adopted an FP method to space your next pregnancy?

As a proportion, this indicator is calculated as:

(Number of women (with a child <2 years old) exposed to HTSP counseling/education surveyed/interviewed who subsequently adopted an FP method to space their next pregnancy / total number of women (with a child <2 years old) exposed to HTSP counseling/education surveyed/interviewed) x 100

Data Requirement(s):

Confirmation that woman has a child <2 years old, confirmation of exposure to HTSP counseling/education, verification that respondent adopted an FP method post-exposure to HTSP counseling/education

Some may wish to collect additional information and disaggregate data by age of respondent, site, parity, underserved population, vulnerable group, FP method adopted, or type of counseling/education received.

Program records; health information systems; special survey; interviews

Based on the recommendations from the WHO technical consultation on birth spacing, after a live birth a woman should wait at least 24 months before attempting the next pregnancy.  Doing so increases the likelihood the woman and newborn will be healthier and her next child will be less likely to be pre-term, small for gestational age and have low birth weight.  The mother will also be less likely to experience maternal mortality and miscarriage.

In populations where communication programs related to HTSP are implemented using IEC techniques, interpersonal communication channels and community outreach workers, program managers and evaluators may want to know the extent to which the intended audience adopts the HTSP recommendations.  This outcome indicator measures the extent to which a specific population targeted by HTSP messages – women with a baby under the age of two – becomes knowledgeable about timing and spacing of pregnancies and actively takes steps to space their next pregnancy.

The adoption of an FP method by a woman who has been exposed to HTSP messages may imply, but not prove that the decision to practice FP was a result of the HTSP counseling/education.

The indicator does not specify if the adopted method of FP is modern or traditional, nor does it capture information about the chosen method being practiced correctly and consistently.

communication, safe motherhood (SM), breastfeeding (BF), family planning, behavior, healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies (HTSP)

“Healthy Timing and Spacing of Pregnancy: A Trainer’s Reference Guide”, 2008.  USAID and ESD Project.

“Healthy Timing and Spacing of Pregnancies: A Pocket Guide for Health Practitioners, Program Managers, and Community Leaders”, 2006.  USAID and ESD Project.

WHO. 2005.  Report of a WHO Technical Consultation on Birth Spacing.  Geneva: Switzerland.

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